Eaton commits to Wauwatosa project

Eaton Corp. has officially committed to moving its Milwaukee operations into a planned 90,000-square-foot building in the Milwaukee County Research Park.

The Business Journal in January first reported that Eaton had narrowed its search for a new location to the research park. But Wednesday’s announcement from Wauwatosa Mayor Jill Didier is the first public confirmation that Eaton is fully committed to the project.

Construction is to begin this summer, with Eaton moving into the building in mid-2012. Eaton would move its operations out of its research and development facility at 4201 N. 27th St. in Milwaukee, where the company has about 145 workers.

Irgens Development Partners LLC, which would build the Eaton facility, has secured Milwaukee County approval to buy about 10 acres for the facility. The developer also will seek city of Wauwatosa approval for tax incremental financing and will use federal tax credits to help fund construction.